Intercultural Content Research Articles

EVALUATION ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING TEXTBOOKS AT CHINESE COLLEGES FROM INTER-CULTURE PERSPECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate whether the existing college English textbook can meet the increasing demand for cultivating college students’ intercultural competence. There were 10 teachers with rich college English language teaching experience that assessed the design of the intercultural content in the current textbook by using a checklist at first. After that, they were invited to participate in an interview to explore their deeper views on the textbook. The results of both the assessment and the interviews showed that the existing textbooks were clearly inadequate in terms of their coverage of "intercultural" content. Even if one can acquire some intercultural knowledge, the content often lacks depth, generality, and clarity. Moreover, the teachers lack professional guidance to apply intercultural content in their daily teaching process. The findings recommend the implementation of more suitable and professional teaching models to counterbalance the textbook's irrational intercultural content design.

Intercultural Representation in ELT Textbooks: The Case of Touchstone Series

Culture is an inseparable part of English Language Teaching (ELT), and ELT textbooks, as one of the main instructional resources are bound to include cultural and linguistic content. However, the kind of cultural content in these books has been a controversial issue for decades. It is recommended that curriculum designers use intercultural content, which represents different countries. However, it is repeatedly observed that the cultural contents in course books are mainly drawn from some specific countries where English is the first language. In this study, the authors investigated an English textbook series named Touchstone to determine the representativeness of the cultural content in those books based on Kachru’s (1992) three concentric circles of countries in which the English language is spoken, namely the inner circle, the outer circle, and the expanding circle. Although the results were promising and a tendency to include expanding circle countries’ cultures was found, the outer circle countries were yet culturally under-represented. The findings of this research can shed light on the intercultural representativeness of this particular series of textbooks and help raise English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers and learners’ awareness of the cultural landscape of ELT textbooks. The findings would also benefit ELT materials developers who wish to produce course books with more internationally representative cultural content.

ТЕОРЕТИЧНІ ЗАСАДИ ФОРМУВАННЯ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ТОЛЕРАННОСТІ МАЙБУТНІХ ВЧИТЕЛІВ ПОЧАТКОВИХ КЛАСІВ В УМОВАХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

The article raises the problem and emphasizes the relevance of the formation of individual tolerance in modern conditions. In particular, the aim of the article is to study the theoretical foundations of the formation of pedagogical tolerance of future elementary school teachers in the conditions of martial law, which is achieved by applying a set of appropriate methods (analysis of philosophical, pedagogical and psychological literature; study and generalization of pedagogical experience, etc.). The presented research specifies and substantiates the essence the concept of «tolerance» - a means of achieving educational and educational tasks; one of the leading goals of the education process and «professional tolerance» is an integrated characteristic, a professionally important quality. The main signs of tolerant thinking are defined: the ability to take a person's point of view - decentration as opposed to infantile egocentrism; the ability to identify essential and minor features in the object being evaluated; the ability to ambivalence in the perception of an object, in which a person can see both positive and negative characteristics at the same time, as opposed to black and white univalent perception; the ability to establish similarities and differences between the same objects on different grounds, forming different groups; flexibility of thinking, which consists in the readiness to change one's ideas about the object in connection with the received new information. The essence, structure and functions of pedagogical tolerance of future primary school teachers are considered. The main ways of its formation during the education of students in a higher education institution are outlined. The importance of the teacher's guidance on the formation of a tolerant attitude towards others in younger schoolchildren is emphasized. The main ways of developing the professional tolerance of future teachers in higher education are outlined: the systematic formation of a stable position in students regarding strict compliance with the requirements of pedagogical ethics, the understanding of the unconditional value of each child, regardlessof his nationality, faith and level of development; organization of tolerant interaction during classes, group and collective educational and extracurricular activities of students; intercultural content of pedagogical education, in particular academic disciplines related to art; directing students to the formation of tolerance skills in children.

Study on the Importance of Promoting Intercultural Teaching of Foreign Languages through Textbook Development

In an era of increasing globalization, foreign language education has evolved beyond simply imparting language knowledge and now emphasizes the cultivation of intercultural communication skills. This article aims to explore how textbooks can serve as bridges that connect different cultures and promote cultural understanding and exchange. Currently, the paradigm of foreign language teaching has shifted from traditional language forms to a greater emphasis on practical communication and awareness of cultural differences, making it imperative for textbook development to fully reflect the needs of intercultural teaching. Given that cultural differences can lead to communication barriers and difficulties in understanding, introducing intercultural content in textbooks not only helps students develop a correct cultural awareness during the process of acquiring a foreign language, but also fosters their intercultural communication skills in real-life contexts.

An Indonesian EFL teacher’s perspective in selecting and developing intercultural content for English Language Teaching

While an extensive body of research has focused on examining and discussing how intercultural values are integrated into English Language Teaching (ELT) materials, little is known about how individual teachers select and develop intercultural content. The present study aimed at exploring an Indonesian EFL teacher’s perspective in selecting and developing intercultural content for classroom instruction. The participant was an English teacher in a state high school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia with more than 10 years of teaching experience. The data from in-depth interviews and the participant’s teaching artifacts were analyzed thematically to point out the participant’s perspective based on multiple aspects. The findings indicated that the participant’s selection and development of intercultural content involved various aspects, including the participant’s beliefs and values, the students, curricular requirements, and influence from colleagues. This study provides an insight into the practical implementation of intercultural value integration into English language instruction in Indonesia.

World Music Open-earedness as a Possible Measure of Proteophilia and Connection to a Cultural Secure Base: A Commentary on Quan et al. (2022)

In this commentary, I discuss the key findings of Quan et al. (2022) and consider how their World Music Open-earedness Scale might contribute to future research and practice. I offer an alternative assessment of the relationship between world music open-earedness and sociocultural adaptation, and suggest how this may be investigated further. I extend this into a reinterpretation of the result linking specific functions of music to adaptation, adding greater emphasis to the role of music as an explicit expression of culture. I propose that these findings can be used to support an increased focus on culture and art in educational contexts, including an increase in intercultural content and encounters.

The potential of using museum podcasts for educational purposes for intercultural exchange

Digital technologies take museums beyond the academic framework and expand their capabilities in the educational sphere. Web 2.0 tools allow museums to target the current generation of young people as well as transfer the basic values of humanity to develop an all-sided, harmonious personality capable of lifelong education. Museum podcasting for educational purposes seems to be authentic intercultural content that helps to establish efficient intercultural communication between students from Kazakhstan and other countries, aimed at popularizing cultural heritage and promoting social inclusion and civic engagement. Eleven EFL students agreed to take part in recording five museum podcasts for educational purposes to improve listening and speaking skills, work on interactive student problems, and create a dialogic space that affords student-teacher agency. Student involvement resulted in the development of a meaningful strategy for creating educational museum podcasting, where each episode deals with the art-historical findings of the researchers from the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of Buketov Karaganda University. We think that by using this digital content during curatorial hours, university teachers will help spread awareness of Central Kazakhstan's historical and cultural heritage among students and young people both domestically and abroad.

STRATEGIES OF RAISING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE IN EFL CLASSROOMS (On a sample from a Greek classroom setting)/ՄԻՋՄՇԱԿՈՒԹԱՅԻՆ ՀԱՂՈՐԴԱԿՑՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԿԱՐՈՂՈՒՆԱԿՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՆԵՐԻ ԶԱՐԳԱՑՄԱՆ ՌԱԶՄԱՎԱՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՆԵՐԸ ԱՆԳԼԵՐԵՆԸ ՈՐՊԵՍ ՕՏԱՐ ԼԵԶՈՒ ԴԱՍԱՎԱՆԴՎՈՂ ԼՍԱՐԱՆՈՒՄ (ՀՈՒՆԱԿԱՆ ԼՍԱՐԱՆԻ ՕՐԻՆԱԿԻ ՀԻՄԱՆ ՎՐԱ)/СТРАТЕГИИ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТИ В МЕЖКУЛЬТУРНОЙ КОМ-МУНИКАЦИИ В КЛАССАХ EFL (из опыта работы с греческим классом)

Intercultural communication competence (ICC) has been increasingly popular in English language teaching in recent years. However, since there are no instructional design frameworks to integrate intercultural content into EFL teaching, not all English language educators are familiar with the strategies of raising ICC in their classrooms. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to come up with strategies for promoting intercultural communication competence in EFL classrooms. The following study provides some theoretical background of ICC and describes current models for dealing with intercultural communicative competence. Qualitative descriptive research was employed using a survey method. The survey was carried out among students at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Eurasia International University to be notified about their knowledge, attitudes, and work in intercultural settings. Participants were 52 students from 16 countries. The evidence showed that the students had a high awareness of ICC and were able to suggest strategies dealing with different linguistic and communicative challenges.

Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence in Foreign Language Classrooms: A study of EFL learners in China

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has been accentuated with the wave of globalization. Universities in China have highlighted ICC in language classrooms. Following Byram’s (1997) ICC model (including knowledge, skills, and attitudes), this study focuses on the efficacy of explicit instruction in developing ICC among EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners in classrooms in China, and to discover how this development is related to the English proficiency. This research, therefore, has two purposes: (1) to use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess ICC including questionnaires through self and others after explicit instruction. And (2) to investigate the relationship between the development of ICC and English proficiency. The results show that (1) explicit instruction is effective in raising students’ development of ICC, especially the knowledge and skills, and (2) English proficiency is significantly related to better acquisition of ICC. In order to promote learners’ ICC based on the mentioned results, some methods can be adopted: refine the intercultural content, manifest the teaching objectives, improve the involvers’ initiatives and implement the scientific evaluation.

Contextualising teaching EIL in the Expanding Circle-East Asian region: a comparative analysis of junior secondary English textbooks in Taiwan and Japan

ABSTRACT This comparative study examines how English as an international language (EIL) is framed in two Expanding Circle-East Asian (ECEA) educational contextsTaiwan and Japan). It employs the paradigmatic lens of EIL and ‘official knowledge’ as conceptual tools to interpret knowledge, culture, and belief represented in English textbooks. Four series of junior secondary English textbooks in Taiwan and Japan were examined through qualitative content analysis. Findings were discussed in terms of, firstly, different EIL planning mentalities of the international and intercultural contents; secondly, (un)institutionalised EIL within the curriculum policy contexts; thirdly, the assertion of national identities in school English textbooks. The discussion contributed to understanding how teaching EIL in schools in the ECEA region was conditioned bythe national curriculum traditions. In addition to expanding the theoreticalaspects of EIL studies in school education in East Asia, the study providessuggestions for developing the EIL curriculum in a local-sensitive way.

Intercultural competence outcomes of a STEM living\u2013learning community

BackgroundLiving–learning communities and global or diversity learning experiences have been identified as educational practices which often have a “high impact” on student success, as well as providing interpersonal competencies that are greatly valued by employers. Even without a specific intercultural or diversity component, living–learning communities would seem to offer rich settings for the development of the ability to work effectively across cultural difference. Yet intercultural learning outcomes are rarely assessed outside the domain of study abroad or diversity training programs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in a “global science” living–learning community can increase the intercultural competence of first year international and domestic students, as measured by a well-known quantitative instrument, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).ResultsIn the first 2 years of the study, the intercultural learning content focused primarily on ‘dealing effectively with difference’ and produced minimal mean gains in intercultural competence. Examination of qualitative data from these experiences (using a well-known rubric to frame the analysis) as well as a review of the literature around intercultural learning (principally in study abroad contexts) suggested that focusing on similarity and self-awareness, coupled with individualized feedback, was likely to be a more appropriate pedagogy for students’ competency development. Following the curriculum revision, 2 years worth of participants exhibited much higher mean gains in IDI scores, as well as higher rates of shifting to a new stage of effectiveness by semester’s end.ConclusionsThis study contributes to the STEM education literature by attempting to apply several years of research findings about effective intercultural competence development, principally from study abroad programs, to STEM education in on-campus contexts. In so doing, it has implications for how STEM educators can more effectively work towards cultivating global-ready STEM graduates, and towards reaching STEM students who, for whatever reason, do not typically participate in study abroad.

Promoting Intercultural Competences and Communication Skills through English Textbooks within Multilingual Education

In intercultural and transcultural communication contexts within multilingual education, English learners should be able to communicate and interact with other people who have different linguistic and cultural background. For this reason, intercultural contents should be incorporated in EFL textbooks to promote learners’ intercultural competences and communication skills. The contents are designed with containing not only Anglo-American and British cultural dimensions but also learners’ home and foreign cultures. It is to prepare learners to become global citizens. The principal aim of this study is to investigate how teachers apply English textbooks to promote learners’ intercultural competences and intercultural communicative skills within multilingual education. This article argues that intercultural representations incorporated in EFL textbooks are used as useful resources for helping learners develop their intercultural competences and communication skills. also, the ways teachers carry out their teaching in the classes are measured. The results of this study show that the teachers employ EFL textbooks effectively with utilizing potential teaching materials containing cultural values to promote learners’ intercultural competences and communicative skills within multilingual education. This study also suggests that English teachers needs reinforcement in multilingual education.

Toward better understanding Japanese university students’ self-perceived attitudes on intercultural competence: A pre-study abroad perspective

ABSTRACT This study sought to uncover the attitudinal factors impacting a group of 1st-year Japanese university students’ (n = 89) self-perceived intercultural competence (IC), prior to embarking on a 6-week US-based study-abroad program. Data were collected qualitatively through reaction reports following an interactive lecture-workshop that aimed to mirror the overseas academic classroom context. Thematic analysis of the data revealed: (1) participants typically perceived their IC through an individual lens and/or a collective lens (and whether they then aligned or differentiated themselves from their overall perception of Japanese IC), and (2) they adopted either a passive or proactive mindset toward their impending study-abroad experience. Results suggest that more intentional balancing of linguistic and intercultural content is needed to foster Japanese university students’ success in study-abroad environments.

The Promotion of Intercultural Understanding in English Language Teaching Textbooks A Content Analysis

The paper centres around the idea that second language learning is an intercultural process. The global role of English as a primary means of intercultural communication has highlighted the need to develop intercultural competences in language learners. Based on these premises, this study will explore the extent to which intercultural aspects are incorporated in course materials and textbooks. A content analysis of 4 textbooks will be conducted. The preliminary results will highlight the limited coverage of intercultural content in most of the textbooks analysed and the need to promote intercultural knowledge and understanding in the language classroom.

A Comparative and Mutual Learning Analysis of the Localization of Second Language Teaching textbook in Macao from the Perspective of Third Space Theory

Macao has been producing and publishing comprehensive localized teaching materials in Portuguese and Chinese (Putonghua) since the 1980s. Based on the third space theory, the researcher explores the commonalities and differences in the cultural genre penetration and spatial presentation of Portuguese and Chinese teaching materials in Macao, and attempts to explore the paths of third space creation and mutual appreciation of Portuguese and Chinese localized teaching materials in Macao. Researcher selected Portuguese-language textbooks <em>Passo a passo...EM PORTUGUÊS</em> (IPOR, 2010) and <em>Português Global </em>(Instituto Politécnico de Macau, 2011), while the Chinese language textbooks <em>Putonghua Textbook</em> (Gabinete da Educação e Assuntos da Juventude, 2010) and A Course in International Chinese (Macao Polytechnic Institute, 2020) as typical samples to analyse and interpret. The results of the study show that: 1) the localised textbooks as a whole present a turn towards ethnorelativism and multiculturalism in the third space model by guiding the initial reshaping of a passive worldview and the horizontal juxtaposition of multicultural facts; 2) the role of the textbooks towards the third space model: The selection of material is presented through the overlap of two cultural spaces and the combination of the everyday and the situational, positioning the role of the "teacher's guide" . The selection of materials promotes the role of "pedagogical collaborator" by actively stepping out of the constraints of the first space, correcting the stereotypes of the second space and drawing a third cultural picture. 3) Based on the commonality of spatial presentation, <em>Passo</em> highlights the natural transition between the two cultures through the co-presentation and alternation of characters and scenes in the first and second spaces. <em>A Course in International Chinese</em> 's use of topic contemporaneity to guide learners to actively explore the advantages of negotiation between spaces is evident. <em>Portuguese Global</em> guides learners to explore the "cultural interface" and construct a third identity by creating two spatially permeable pathways of "intercultural interlocutors" and "intercultural content". <em>Putonghua Textbook </em>are constructed in an immersive first space element with conversational discourse, practice of local features, and life situations questions, which is worthy of study in other textbooks. To sum up, exploring the localized creation of third spaces in different language materials in the same region can further explore the value of writing materials for mutual learning and appreciation.

Implementacja aspektów międzykulturowych do programu nauczania polskiego języka migowego jako obcego na przykładzie kursu MOOC

This article presents the description of the course in Polish Sign Language conducted as an MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), and, in particular, the possibility of the implementation of inter-cultural aspects into the curriculum of Polish Sign Language as a foreign language with the application of this very formula. The technical structure of the course itself, and also methodological assumptions behind conducting it, are presented in this article as well. The description of the emplotment of the contents contained in it as a method of counteracting the phenomenon of abandoning the course and including intercultural contents into the curriculum of the course. What is discussed as well is the advantages resulting from including intercultural elements into instruction into Polish Sign Language.

Учебник как средство формирования межкультурной коммуникативной компетенции курсантов военного вуза

The article focuses on ESP textbook evaluation to develop effective cross cultural communication skills. The core elements of the ESP textbook for teaching and learning Military English are: intercultural content, authentic and meaningful texts and task-based activities, simulating situations in professional communication settings.

Comparative Overview of the Presence of Intercultural Education of Teacher Trainees in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

The focus of the present paper is on the importance and significance of interculturality in teacher education. The paper analyzes the intercultural content of the curricula to develop the intercultural competencies of future teachers in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample analyzed was the curricula of the universities of these two countries for the academic year 2018-2019. The analysis of the chosen documents examined the areas of teaching, content, as well as other elements that represent possible opportunities for developing the intercultural competencies of the students. The analyzed curricula do not offer an insight into the results of the teaching practice, which is one of the limitations of this study. The findings on the poor ratio of intercultural elements in the curricula and the need for their revision, as well a necessity of introducing systematic intercultural education to teacher colleges and universities of education are a valuable contribution. Competent teachers will create a positive environment for proper intercultural communication and develop the intercultural sensitivity of their students thus promoting a culture of dialogue. The result obtained in the analysis can be an incentive to think thorough when creating curricula for educating teachers, both in initial and life-long learning so that they promote intercultural values.

Intercultural content and perspectives in school textbooks in Georgia

ABSTRACT This study used content analysis to explore the way in which primary grade school textbooks in Georgia cover multicultural content. Seventeen primary grade textbooks for all subjects were assessed with Relational Qualitative Content Analysis, which included five subcomponents: (1) ethnocentric approaches; (2) promoting intolerance; (3) stereotyping; (4) classification of different groups (invalid, enemies, others, etc.), and (5) accuracy and scope of information. The research revealed important shortcomings in each of the components mentioned above and makes important suggestions for National Curriculum and school textbook reforms in Georgia

A Descriptive Analysis of Intercultural Content of the EFL Textbooks Used in the Intermediate Schools in Iraq

Integrating culture in ELT, particularly in EFL textbooks, has recently gained greater importance and attention based on both the sociocultural theory that portraits learning as a social action, and the conception that culture and language are unavoidably attached. It has also come to be more important because English is an international language and a lingua Franca in the twenty-first era of globalization. Accordingly, new orientations in ELT have arisen such as improving the intercultural competence. Since 2012, Iraq have adopted “English for Iraq” (EFI) series of textbooks which seem to lack orientations towards intercultural competence. This paper aims at finding out how the intercultural materials of EFI textbook are presented and whether they develop the Iraqi learners’ intercultural competence. Based on an adapted version of Byram’s (1997) model, a descriptive content analysis is utilized to examine the texts and visuals in the three textbooks used in intermediate schools. Findings indicate that intercultural elements in the textbooks show sharp differences in their frequency of occurrences portraying an imbalanced intercultural presentation with a knowledge-oriented majority of mainly fact-stating materials. As such, the authors found that these textbooks do not improve the Iraqi EFL learners’ intercultural competence. The paper has educational implications in concern of reconsidering culture integration in the Iraqi EFL textbooks so as to cope with the recent trends and objectives in ELT to promote the students’ empathy, tolerance, and respect of otherness.